Rat Island, New York

:"This article is about the island in New York. For the island in Alaska, see Rat Island (Alaska)."Rat Island is a tiny island approximately half an acre in size located in City Island Harbor which is a part of Long Island Sound, near New York City. It is about halfway between City Island and Hart Island and south of High Island. It is one of The Pelham Islands.

Description

The small irregular island has an odd dual humped appearance and is mostly a lump of Manhattan schist bedrock. There is a small channel cut into the bedrock on the southern side of the tiny island that was used for launching small boats. This channel is filled with mussel shells. There is a purple-bluish "beach" made of mussel shells on the west side of the island with some reed grass.

History

In the 1800s Rat Island was used for a typhoid quarantine hospital for about 40 infected people. The remains of cobblestone walls and foundations are still there. It was abandoned due to storm floods. Local legends say there was also a lighthouse for a while.

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